Events for April 13, 2014

Painter Jacob Lawrence is known for using a series format to render in colorful expressive imagery and text the narrative stories of historical African American figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. Each of the eight works on view in Jacob Lawrence's Genesis Series (1990) describes a passage from the book of Genesis in the King James version of the Bible.

During the late 19th and early 20th century, fine book binding enjoyed a golden age of creativity and lavish decoration. These handmade, individual and highly personal objects were made not only to protect the texts they contained, but also to be admired and appreciated as portable decorative masterpieces in their own right.

The Japanese art of flower arranging, or ikebana, has inspired the creation of extraordinary ceramic containers. This exhibition outlines the history of some of Japan’s major schools of ikebana and displays a wide variety of contemporary ceramics created in harmony with the most modern floral conventions.

Travel to Japan with us and explore the colors and smells of Japanese flowers! Squish clay into a vase, create new species of flowers with a needle and thread, and design a garden using printmaking! Take inspiration from our special exhibition, Designed for Flowers: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, as we explore the simple beauty of Asian art!

“Highlights of the Walters” explores painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts from antiquity to the 19th century. This is one of the free, weekly walk-in tours. No reservations are required. Just walk in and enjoy!

In the last two decades, there has been an increased interest in Asian contemporary art in the West. Artists from millennial civilizations, such as China and India, often make use of traditional sources and attitudes that are culturally specific and historically rooted. This illustrated lecture by Dr. Vishakha N. Desai, President Emerita of Asia Society, will explore and highlight the pre-modern traditions that permeate art practices in India and China today.